It's almost time for the 2014 Olympics, and Russia is beaming with pride. These games are a big source of enthusiasm and national pride for Russians, and the games are being drummed up with near-Soviet vigor. Politicians evoke the Olympics in speeches; street banners promote the games; and the games are invoked at all sporting events. Last weekend, I went with a few of my students to a cross-country skiing competition at a Vladimir park. Everything had an Olympic theme.

I watched most of the opening ceremony (I was teaching for the first hour of the ceremony), and it was certainly impressive. With all the controversy and negativity surrounding the games, here's to hoping that everything goes well and that the right people--the athletes--make the news.

Here are a few pictures of the skiing event from last weekend. It was called Лыжнья Россия (Skiing Russia), and the event in Vladimir was one of hundreds around the country. It was pretty cold that day, so we didn't stay long, but it was fun to watch some really good skiers do their thing.